I personally think nothing will ever replace the popularity of balls but I've heard people say Carpets and maybe even Hognose snakes. Maybe Bloods??

but, i think if you had to shoot a likely guess, it would hafta be hogs.
handleability, size, personality, morphs, hogs are the next bomb.
ck

what time is the cutting ceremony taking place ?
ck

Bloods tried lol.... Joke.

If you go by morphs and what not. I am not sure anything can hold a candle to them other then the all mighty Corn.

But Boas and the true dwarfs are still gaining. The Darkside as people like to say.

I dont think hogs have the capability to have as many morph combinations as balls or corns in the future but I would venture to say they will be one of the next populat snake.

I alos believe with the over saturation of balls now and corns the same way I think people will start focusing on rare,exotic, or not as well none typres of snakes in order to get there name out and to offer something unique.
Im looking forward to see what pops up in the near future.

I do think that the ball has a lot going for it that many of the others don't and that is size and docility (is that a word?) The dwarf tics would be wonderful except they are really hyper, flighty with a tendency to bite doesn't exactly have a worldwide appeal. Boas -- well they get big and and again they tend to be nippy or hissy -- least the ones I had. I'd like to try a hog -- but are the color morphs there?

It really is too bad the the Angolan doesn't have any morphs to it. But if anyone wants to start a big movement for the Angolan I'm all for it. :D

Dwarf locality boas imo

I personally think nothing will ever replace the popularity of balls but I've heard people say Carpets and maybe even Hognose snakes. Maybe Bloods??

I agree, balls will always be the most popular. I really like some of the other species of snakes; such as, locality boas and Australian species, but most people like them smaller but not too small. .

It really is too bad the the Angolan doesn't have any morphs to it. But if anyone wants to start a big movement for the Angolan I'm all for it. :D

I agree. I love the Angolan pythons. I have really been contemplating purchasing a female...

I agree, balls will always be the most popular. I really like some of the other species of snakes; such as, locality boas and Australian species, but most people like them smaller but not too small. .

One of the reasons I see BPs sp spread around & popular is ..

1) A ton of folks jumped in during the boom.
2) They can be pumped and breeding ready faster than any other snake species I know of.

Not everyone that keeps BPs does so for the typical " Pet " qualities.

I think Hognose & Dwarf Boas. I heard Bloods were being pushed at Daytona but I'm really not seeing it.

Nothing will ever compare to BP's...Everything else is just another niche market...BP's are perfect...The future will be in selective breeding...IMO - If I had to pick one - Dwarf locality Boas...My 2nd - Carpets...

I dought they will ever take the place of balls but agree that dwarf locality boas will become very popular.

I think Rainbow Boa's will be the next big thing! I like them anyway even if others don't.

Brock

I think Rainbow Boa's will be the next big thing! I like them anyway even if others don't.

Brock

I think the Rainbow Boas are really cool, but I have heard they are hard to keep. I heard they do not do well without a lot of humidity.

Retics!! LOL Probably not but there is alot of cool stuff going on in the retic world. Its sad with all the political #$@&#$@&#$@&#$@& that goes along with them.

i dodnt think any thing will they still are coming up with new morph

i dodnt think any thing will they still are coming up with new morph

please use your spell check. LOL !
ck

I'm sure they felt the same way about the Corn Snake market. While it is still strong in respect to sales , not necessarily price , the BP market will eventually follow suit and something else will explode as the hot new thing and we'll be inundated with more market chasing , breed it till it dies for the money dumbasses. Its enevitable.

Now in comparison , BPs are still commanding some decent dollars but through selective breeding so are some Corn morphs. What takes the place of the BP excitement will have to be something fairly easy to breed , tons of new morphs and lovability.

I won't say the Dwarf boas will be it as they have had years in the limelight along with the larger boas right beside the BPs. Not enough new morphs are popping up in the boa world for them to take the hobby/industry by storm like the BPs did. I'm sure new morphs are coming but they'll need to get here in the next couple years to have the effect of the BPs. One other reason I don't think the dwarf boas will hit like BPs is the docility factor. Every one of our dwarfs bite far readily in comparison to the BPs.

To have the same effect in the market, whatever the new thing is , it will need to be quite docile to hit the heart strings like our pretty little land slugs did.

So I'm sticking to the Western Hognose and not so sure on the dwarf boas.

I think Ball are the bomb. But there are some very cool carpets. They have a great personality as well.

I fell in love with both hognoses and carpets at the show I went to this summer. Great personalities and looks. But like somebody else already mentioned... Do either of them have enough morphs to keep people interested?

BTW- I don't think Ball Pythons are going to be fading quietly into the background anytime soon anyways.

I think carpets but I love carpets. I think once the albino carpet is really out there they will really take off

Probably nothing but in my eyes a close 2nd would be carpet pythons or dwarf/super dwarf retics.

I do think that the ball has a lot going for it that many of the others don't and that is size and docility (is that a word?) The dwarf tics would be wonderful except they are really hyper, flighty with a tendency to bite doesn't exactly have a worldwide appeal. Boas -- well they get big and and again they tend to be nippy or hissy -- least the ones I had. I'd like to try a hog -- but are the color morphs there?

It really is too bad the the Angolan doesn't have any morphs to it. But if anyone wants to start a big movement for the Angolan I'm all for it. :D

Yes mam.....it surely is. :)

I think carpets but I love carpets. I think once the albino carpet is really out there they will really take off

I definately agree! Carpets are easily cared for, relatively docile ( I only have 2 that have ever been very aggressive and both have calmed down significantly,) and there are cool new morphs being imorted into the US (Albinos, Zebras, Caramels, etc.).

~Dave

I agree that the balls arent going anywhere for a long, long time. They are as close to a perfect snake as you can get. The only negative I can think of is some of them are finicky eaters but even thats going down.

The corns were popular for a while and they have good qualities as well. And tons of morphs. I think they kinda faded into the background for a couple reasons. First, the babies are noodles. Tiny little things. Very delicate. A baby ball is a substational animal. You dont feel like you're gonna kill it by breathing on it. And getting some of those corns, especially the smaller than average hatchlings to feed can be a chore.

Second its a PYTHON and people like that. Me man, me have python. Of course that doesnt pertain to the hardcore hobbyists who wouldnt care if it was named Sissy Nancy Snake. But the general public is entranced by the mighty python name. Compare that to "corn snake". Sounds like a Thanksgiving side dish.

Their size is perfect. Not tiny, not huge but beefy enough eat a small rat. Perfect.

I dont think the rainbow boas will ever get really big. Juts my opinion, I could be wrong. They are nippy, delicate and hard to breed. And yes they need high humidity but not too high or they get sick. I think they will stay as a niche market. Its a tricky snake that Joe Blow is just not gonna want to deal with.

Hognose. Yeah, they seem to be gaining in popularity. Personally I dont like them. I find them creepy looking and they feel weird, lol. But they have some good qualities as well.

Locality boas yeah I think they will go up. Maybe not as much as the balls but I see them gaining.

Carpets yeah Ive seen some carpet action lately. They are a little mean though at least some of them and thats gonna frighten our friend Joe Blow:Snake Newbie.

Bloods I just dont see it. I believe they will remain with the hardcores.

Dwarf retics. Dont know much about them but from what I understand they are flighty and can be aggressive. And even a dwarf is a pretty big animal.

With the still yet unseen morphs in the world of bps.... I don't see them becoming boring anytime soon.... If I had to pic something it would be colurbids, corns and kings. People would go back to them, too easy to produce.... don't get big.... simplest captive requirements.

Yea I agree I don't thinks are going anywhere but up in popularity.. There are still Holy Grail morphs out there arn't even released into the market yet.. Good stuff to come.

Hell there are still 1000.00 corns snakes..

With the still yet unseen morphs in the world of bps.... I don't see them becoming boring anytime soon.... If I had to pic something it would be colurbids, corns and kings. People would go back to them, too easy to produce.... don't get big.... simplest captive requirements.

Im kinda agreeing with him... There arent alot of mophs with the milk snakes yet..... but I figure there will be.... its just a matter of time. And most of the morphs are around 100-200 which makes them accessable to a larger audience.

I doubt any snake will gain popularity, create excitement,and command prices as the balls did. However, if I were investing in a "new" snake that will do well and hold value Id go with Green Tree Pythons. Again, I doubt they or any snake will match what the balls have done. GTP's are notoriously nippy. However they are not as hard to care for as many people think, and looks wise I don't think they can be beat, not to mention the awesome color change they go through, and there manageable size.

I will pray that Dwarf locality boas never get there.

i know that for me personally, nothing will ever replace my balls...
ck

I really don't see anything replacing balls as the most popular "pet" species. I do think that some of the smaller carpets like IJ's and JCP's will become alot more popular than they are now and will likely be seen in pet stores and such alot more often than they are now. I think dwarf locality boas will become a more popular thing too. Columbians are already pretty popular pets, but as people start to learn more about the animals they want to keep, I think the dwarf localities will become more appealing than some of the larger localities.

It seems like alot of the popular first time reptile "pets" really aren't suitable pets for the people that end up buying them. We have pets stores full of cheap imports like burms and niles or water monitors that really shouldn't be sold to someone that hasn't done even a little bit of research on the animal and it's needs. I wonder when or if there will ever be a day when CB animals are the preference of pet stores instead of imports that don't cost very much with these sellers that really only care about a sale.

I wouldn't have bought into some Ball Python projects if I didn't believe that their popularity would continue to rise. I think they will always be popular and we will never see an end to the morphs that can be made. If breeders continue to selectively breed it's hard to tell what can be made over the next decade.

I don't think anything will take the place of BP's any time soon especially with new stuff happening in the market.

I do think boas will be selectively bred smaller and smaller and with the morphs available they could move up quite a bit. "Most" are docile and if they were 1.5 ft smaller I think they would make the perfect pet. New colors, morphs are still popping up and will keep the market interesting for a while.

I know of a biggish breeder working on smaller (nicer than locality) boas as we speak.

I have often wondered if you could treat "docile behavior" as a trait like a color or pattern. I wouldn't have enough experience to know, do you?

Hogs just don't have the coolness factor, or colors to me. IMHO

I have often wondered if you could treat "docile behavior" as a trait like a color or pattern. I wouldn't have enough experience to know, do you?

Hogs just don't have the coolness factor, or colors to me. IMHO

i firmly believe that "attitude" is an inheritable trait, but there is still much work to do. no one is gonna drop major coin, raise up a super cool hot morph, and then not breed it 'cause it's nasty !

ck

I really don't see anything replacing balls as the most popular "pet" species. I do think that some of the smaller carpets like IJ's and JCP's will become alot more popular than they are now and will likely be seen in pet stores and such alot more often than they are now. I think dwarf locality boas will become a more popular thing too. Columbians are already pretty popular pets, but as people start to learn more about the animals they want to keep, I think the dwarf localities will become more appealing than some of the larger localities.

It seems like alot of the popular first time reptile "pets" really aren't suitable pets for the people that end up buying them. We have pets stores full of cheap imports like burms and niles or water monitors that really shouldn't be sold to someone that hasn't done even a little bit of research on the animal and it's needs. I wonder when or if there will ever be a day when CB animals are the preference of pet stores instead of imports that don't cost very much with these sellers that really only care about a sale.



Great post! :cheers:

I really dont follow it to much, personally I dont care much for all the BP morphs. I have to normal BPs and more then happy with that. IMO nothing beats the natural beauty of these animals. There are some crazy BP morphs out there and I do enjoy seeing pics of them but thats it for me personally.

I have heard it suggested as the next big thing and IMO is a very underated and overlooked snake. I wouldnt be suprised if rainbow boas take off and become more popular.. Its a shame that they are overlooked but IMO there is no snake more beautiful then rainbow boas. The only downside is they require high hummidity and specific temps but once you get them down they are just as easy as any other snake.. Thats just my opinions it doesent really matter to me because I keep what I like the most rather then whats most popular :)

You guys are forgetting the obvious thing...leopard geckos :lol: